Growing conditions:
Early! Budbreak in 2014 was nearly 3 weeks early with great growing conditions: No frost, warm days/cool nights during the growing season with harvest finishing 10 days early. While quality is excellent due to tiny berry size, yields were small due to our 3rd year of drought.

Winemaking:
After hand harvesting, the grapes were crushed then inoculated 24 hours later with D80 yeast and spent an average of 13 days on the skins prior pressing. Different varietal lots were barrel aged separately for 22 months in seasoned French, American, and Hungarian oak barrels then blended and bottled after 7 more months in barrels.

Tasting notes:
Delicious! Complex, inviting aromas are created by multi-varietal blending. Hints of ripe plums, berries, and sage are intertwined with subtle oak. Flavors are extended and rich with layers of round, rich tannins coupled with hints of oak. The finish is rich and lasting which enables additional aging.

Cellaring:
While enjoyable currently, this supple red blend will continue to improve with proper cellaring for another 3-6 years in the bottle with a plateau of best drinkability from 2021-2025.

Food selection:
This rich, layered wine will enhance hearty beef dishes, ripe cheeses as well as pastas with spicy sauces.